


The Truth is Closer Than You Think

by DamnFineCoffee



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-05
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 07:05:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1170118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamnFineCoffee/pseuds/DamnFineCoffee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I love you, Spooky.” She smiled softly, making sure that the words felt right coming from her mouth. </p><p>“You think I’m spooky?” Mulder joked, his arms still wrapped around her. </p><p>“Well I guess I am too.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I saw the college au floating around on tumblr and had to contribute. It is literally the cutest thing.

She wasn’t too tall and she wasn’t too short either. Maybe it was the chunky black boots that gave her some height, Fox Mulder didn’t know. She had orange hair- colored naturally and wore a dismal amount of black clothing, fishnets and all. He had only caught a glimpse of the red head before she was lost in the crowd of freshmen college students hauling boxes of their belongings into dorm rooms. 

But the one thing that truly caught Mulder’s eye about this girl was the absence of nervousness on her face. He had just watched another student have some kind of breakdown in the parking lot and yet here she was, Mrs. Mystery with an utter lack of nerves. 

Mulder peered down at the box in his own arms briefly before chugging along down the crowded hallway. From the half open flaps he could see the space memorabilia that once flooded his desk back home. Little plastic aliens, a ceramic flying saucer painted in blues and purples, a couple of books here and there, and a rolled up poster displaying the words “I Want to Believe.” 

The objective of today was to move into the designated dorm rooms and this was Mulder’s last box. Later on the students would have the chance of getting to know one another once everyone was settled in. 

From the looks of the hallways that didn’t seem to be any time soon. 

 

When Mulder reached his room he set the last box alongside the many others that had occupied the space. Finally, a chance to sit down. 

He slumped into the chair next to the desk and began sorting through the packet of papers the administration had provided him. A small, sticker name tag slipped from between two different forms. He was supposed to wear it later so everyone could know his name without asking. It was such a tedious task, sparking up a conversation.

He took a stray pen and scrawled out “Spooky” under the: HELLO. My name is. 

Spooky was a name given to him by old high school classmates. They were teasing, of course. It was all because of Fox Mulder’s belief in everything supernatural. Everything and anything was possible. Ghosts, shape shifters, other worldly dimensions, aliens, and everything in between. He was even convinced that Elvis Presley was still alive. 

He gently peeled the name tag off of its paper and stuck it to his chest just above his shirt pocket. Standing up he figured it would probably be best to start unpacking things now.  
The box of old desk items was opened slowly, almost solemnly and placed on the chair next to the desk. One by one the items were arranged. Underneath the small lamp sat the aliens. Next went the ceramic flying saucer next to the books smashed together by two silver bookends. Mulder stood on the chair to tape the poster above his new desk. And last but not least, at the bottom of the box, was a framed picture of his sister Samantha. He sighed, picking it up and grazing a finger over the lightly dusted glass. He wiped it away until her face shone through like it always did and set it down in the middle of it all. Everything was starting to look normal…or at least like home. 

Over the next couple hours Mulder had unpacked most of his things and placed them around the dorm. Stacks of folded clothes were put away in a small dresser. The overly priced textbooks were set on top of the dresser so he wouldn’t misplace them any time soon along with the packet of papers administration had given him. He tossed sheets onto his bed and placed a miniature trash can next to the desk. It was at this point that he heard other students exiting their dorms and making their way down the hallway. There wasn’t too much else to unpack so, flicking off the light, Mulder followed the others. 

 

There she was. Looking utterly uninterested in the giddy chaos around her. She sat at the table at the far side of the main lounge, her chin in her hand looking around at the other students. They were cliques as there would always be, but they didn’t seem to be anything like high school. The atmosphere was mature and eager. But alas, it was only orientation. 

Mulder crossed the room and slowly took a seat at the table next to her. She didn’t seem to notice or she didn’t seem to mind. 

“Hi.” He said, tilting his head upward and offering a crack of a smile. 

She took a glance at him, taking in his appearance. He wore a black button up shirt with a bright green alien print. The name tag slapped across his chest read “HELLO. My name is Spooky.” He had kind eyes and an endearing smile. Suddenly she found herself feeling like this was the most interesting person she met all day. 

“Spooky, huh?” Her voice was smooth like she knew how to carry a conversation. 

“Oh, yeah. I guess so, it’s what everyone calls me.” He waited for her to introduce herself but remembered that it would be sensible to examine her own name tag. When he looked for it he found that she wasn’t wearing one. 

“Dana. My name’s Dana Scully in case you were wondering.” 

Up close Mulder could see that she had blue eyes. She wore a black skeleton choker around her neck and had a myriad of piercings in her ears. 

“Nice to meet you, Dana.” 

“Aren’t you going to tell me your name, Mr. Spooky? Your real name?” 

“Fox Mulder.” He mumbled without hesitation. He hated his first name. It was kind of bad when you preferred to be dubbed “Spooky” over being called by your real name.  
“Hey, Dana.” The two of them turned to face the girl who was approaching. She had long black hair that was pin straight with a nose ring. She wore a Misfits shirt with a battered leather jacket and a pair of ripped blue jeans. She stared at Mulder suspiciously before turning her attention back to Dana. 

“We’re all gonna get a slice of pizza down the street before they put some crazy curfew on us, are you comin’?” 

“Yeah.” She stood up from the table and began to follow her friend. 

“See you around, Spooky.” She smiled over her shoulder and walked away. 

 

After Dana got up Mulder decided that it wasn’t exactly worth it to stick around. He slipped away from the commotion and back into the stairwell leading up to the dorm rooms. As he plunged into the sudden silence he was struck by an unexpected feeling of loneliness. This was truly the first time he was away from home and by himself. He hadn’t felt this way since he was 12 years old and Samantha was taken. The house had become eerily quiet and his parents weren’t exactly happy. He spent most of his time alone in his room but the feeling eventually went away until now.

When he stepped into the empty hallway and approached his dorm Mulder could see that the door was open and the light was on. He hadn’t left it that way and now he was suspicious. Thoughts raced through his head and he was starting to convince himself that he would step into the room and find an extraterrestrial being raiding his drawers. 

But that wasn’t the case at all. When he stepped into the dorm he found his roommate neatly folding clothes on his side of the room. 

“Oh, you must be Fox….or uh…” He strained his eyes to look at Mulder’s name tag. “Spooky.”

He raised his eyebrows and went back to folding a shirt before standing up and extending his hand. 

“Alex Krycek.” 

Mulder shook his hand and mumbled a polite “nice to meet you.” He looked strikingly normal with standard dark brown hair and a short crop. He was wearing a sweat shirt with the words “Washington DC” arched across his chest and a pair of jeans. Nothing extraterrestrial about him. 

“Your shirt matches the rest of your stuff.” Alex said in a way that wasn’t exactly a compliment. 

Mulder didn’t reply simply because he didn’t want to. Something told him that this whole roommate thing wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.


	2. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 2)

Mulder didn’t see Dana Scully for almost an entire week. 

He had to admit that he searched for her in between classes some days but the hallways were always too crowded and there were a million places to look. Maybe she had earlier classes, or maybe they were later. Either way, Dana Scully wasn’t in any of Mulder’s. 

On one particular September afternoon Mulder stepped outside into the sunshine with all intentions of taking a break. He had about an hour to waste before his next class and knew the perfect spot to spend a little bit of time. On the edge of the campus sat a large oak tree. Its enormous branches cast the perfect amount of shade in the grass, sitting at a distance away from everything else. Mulder had chosen it as his place of escape. 

He plopped down in the shaded grass, tossing his book bag beside him. For a moment he simply leaned against the tree and watched students crossing the campus. After growing bored of that he unzipped his book bag and grabbed the most recent Stephen King novel that he was reading. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tree trunk sat Dana Scully. She was out of Mulder’s view studying one of her medical books but after a while she swore she could hear pages turning that weren’t her own. She shut the book and peered around the tree trunk, only to catch the elbow of the stranger. But the alien pins on the book bag told her something else. 

Being as quiet as she possibly could, Dana slowly crawled closer. 

“Heya, Spooky.” She said as he peered over the top of his book in alarm. 

“Dana. Hi.” His alarm turned into a sincere smile. 

“What are you reading?”

“Pet Semetary.” 

“I love Stephen King.” 

She slumped down next to him and peered at the open book. 

“What page are you on?”

“I just got to the part where they bury the cat.” 

The two of them sat in silence for a couple of moments before Dana spoke up again. 

“So what do you prefer to be called? Spooky or Fox?” 

“Mulder.” 

“Your last name?” 

“Uh huh. I guess I like anything but Fox.” 

“Alright, Mulder.” She looked at him with a smile. Mulder liked the way she had her hair pulled up that day. 

“Hold on a minute.” She said, shooting to her feet and disappearing behind the tree. Mulder looked around confused for a second before she returned with her bag and a text book. 

“I didn’t want to leave it sitting alone.” 

“I understand.” 

Mulder’s eyes drifted down to the text book sitting in Dana’s lap. The “Atlas of Anatomy.” 

“You’re a med student?”

“Yep. What about you, Mulder. What do you major in?”

“Psychology.” 

“Oooh. Interesting. I like it, it suits you.” 

“Thanks.” Mulder laughed lightly. “Some say I need a psychologist.” 

“I don’t see it that way.” Dana shook her head and smiled meaningfully. 

“Yeah but you just met me. Give it some time.” 

 

Fox Mulder and Dana Scully spent the next 30 minutes getting to know each other a little bit better. Mulder didn’t exactly know why she had stuck around so long, most people get bored of his extensive chatter but Dana listened, sometimes questioned him about it. Sometimes she said the theories were ridiculous but she was entitled to her opinions and Mulder understood that. He soon found out that Dana Scully was the type of woman that liked to rely on provable information. 

She told him a little bit about where she grew up and how she had two brothers and a sister. Mulder smiled sadly and said that he had a sister too. Key word: had. 

After multiple students started flocking to the building Dana stood up and sighed. 

“I should probably get to class. See you later, Mulder.” 

“Bye, Scully…Or uh, Dana.” 

“No. I like Scully.” She said in finality before slinging her bag over her shoulder and prancing off through the grass. 

 

The tree became their meeting spot. The very next day Mulder found Scully where she was supposed to be- propped against the trunk with her textbook in hand. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts with her boots and a worn plaid shirt that she pushed up to her elbows. Her hair was pulled up like it had been the day before so that it was showing off her pierced ears. It was strange to Mulder how well she had taken to him but he didn’t mind it one bit. He liked the way her lips curled when she spotted him. 

It carried on like this for a long time. Every day the two of them slumped underneath the shade of the oak tree talking about whatever was on their mind. Sometimes they didn’t need to talk at all; it was simply nice to have company. But when fall turned into winter they had to resort to something different for the sheer avoidance of frost bite. 

The lounge was hopelessly crowded with students in between classes or during free time so they traipsed up the stairs to Mulder’s dorm room on most days. 

As the snow fell outside Scully would sit cross legged on Mulder’s bed underneath the hundreds of small notes plastered above it. Alex Krycek referred to it as “obsessive behavior” but Mulder argued differently. 

Scully thoroughly enjoyed Mulder’s side of the room. She liked the notes and the scattered books. She liked the little green aliens flooding his desk and the glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling. She even liked the “I Want to Believe Poster.” 

One day while the two of them were buried up to their neck in finals work the picture frame sitting on Mulder’s desk caught Scully’s eye. She stood up off of the bed and got close to look at the picture. 

“Who’s this?” She smiled at Mulder who didn’t even have to look up. 

“My sister.”

“It must have been hard leaving her at home, huh?” 

When the room fell silent Scully could already feel the words coming. 

“She’s not exactly with us anymore.” Mulder said as if it were rehearsed. 

“She died? Oh, I’m sorry Mulder I didn’t know…”

“No…she didn’t die it’s…well it’s something else.” 

“What happened?” 

Mulder set down his book and sighed deep. 

“Come on Mulder you can tell me.”

After a few seconds of silence had passed he looked around the room as if expecting someone else to be in there with them. Scully watched with furrowed eyebrows as he leaned in closer. 

“She was abducted, Scully.” 

“W-what?” She didn’t want to sound like she didn’t believe it but she wasn’t sure she did. Slowly her mind started piecing the puzzle together. 

“I know it sounds crazy but Scully I watched it happen. I did. You don’t have to believe me but I do.” 

“I didn’t say-“

“But you were thinking it.” 

“Mulder.” 

He looked down at the picture of Samantha for what felt like an eternity. A hand on his shoulder pulled him back into reality. His eyes trailed from a delicate hand with black-polished fingernails to Scully who was looking at him sympathetically, a stray strand of orange hair hanging in her face. 

“I’m sorry, Mulder.” 

“I guess you can see now why they all call me Spooky.”

“I don’t think you’re spooky.” 

At that moment the door opened suddenly, causing Scully to pull her hand away. None other than Alex Krycek entered the room carrying a stack of library books. She suddenly got the feeling that neither Mulder nor his roommate enjoyed each other’s company. 

“I’ve got a ton of studying to do.” Krycek said as he let the books fall onto his bed. 

Taking that as her cue to leave, Scully stood up and flashed Mulder a sarcastic smile. 

“See you tomorrow, Mulder.” 

“Bye Scully.” He muttered as he watched her go. 

When she was out of ear shot Alex raised an eyebrow. “Never thought a punk chick was your type.”

“She isn’t my girlfriend.” 

“If you say so.” Krycek shook his head and opened a book. 

 

 

“Dana, where the hell have you been?” Her roommate Phoebe asked as Scully entered their dorm. She happened to be the same girl that approached her and Mulder on the first day. 

When Dana said nothing Phoebe spoke up. “Don’t tell me you were with Spooky Mulder again.” 

“Hey. He’s nice and he’s my friend, alright?” 

“Dana he’s weeeird.” She said as she sat up and tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear. “He’s in my English class and trust me. What a weirdo…” 

“Well I guess I like weirdos.” Scully tossed her bag onto her bed and sat down at her desk. Among her belongings sat a miniature human skeleton figure, family pictures, a cross her mother had given her for her fifteenth birthday that was currently hanging from the lamp, a small Misfits poster plastered to the wall above the desk, and another Fleetwood Mac poster she had found in a thrift store back home. She was a huge Fleetwood Mac fan, regardless of her perceived style. 

“Are you going to the party on Saturday?” Phoebe questioned, changing the subject. 

“Sure.” Scully spun around in the chair slowly. 

“Are you gonna bring Spooky?” 

“What if I do?” 

Phoebe stood up and poked her head out the door and looked up and down the hallway. She stepped back inside and closed the door before she took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one up. 

“I don’t know. You can if you want, I just can’t believe you hang out with that guy. It’s like you’d rather listen to some loser chatter about aliens and ghosts than hang out with us.”

“Don’t call him a loser. You don’t even know him.” 

“If I didn’t know any better I’d think you wanted to be Mrs. Spooky.” Phoebe said as she tapped the cigarette out of the open window. “I’m going to go get something from the cafeteria, you want anything?” 

“No thanks.”

Scully chose to ignore the previous comment mainly because she didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t want to be “Mrs. Spooky”…or at least she didn’t think so. Mulder was her friend and a good friend at that. She wasn’t going to let somebody morph her decisions. Dana Scully wouldn’t stand for it. 

Phoebe said nothing more as she left the room, careful to get rid of the cigarette. Dana watched her go thankfully. She tapped her fingers along the top of her desk thoughtfully for a moment before standing up and leaving herself. 

Sooner or later she would find herself standing in front of Mulder’s door, knocking softly. She would watch his face light up when he answered. She would listen to him ask her if she had left something inside. Scully would shake her head no and say that she only needed a minute. 

“Do you want to go to a party on Saturday?”


	3. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 3)

When Scully showed up at Mulder’s door step on Saturday night she was wearing the same black skirt she wore the first day she met him. She had fishnet stockings on with her boots and a leather jacket. She had replaced the choker with a dainty gold cross. Her hair was down, dangling on her shoulders and her lipstick was dark. 

“Well, if I knew you were going to look so good I wouldn’t have worn a Ghostbusters shirt.” Mulder joked, only half serious- he would have worn the Ghostbusters shirt anyway. 

Scully rolled her eyes and hid her smile with a laugh. “Ha. Ha.” 

“I mean, this might sound lame but this is my first college party.” 

“Well you’re in luck Fox Mulder because it happens to be mine too.” Scully said as she watched Mulder lock his dorm behind him. 

“Alex is out?” 

“Yeah, he went home early for the holidays.” He leaned in and in a mock-whisper tone said “Thank God.” 

Scully laughed understandingly. Mulder talked about Alex sometimes and never seemed to make him sound pleasant. 

He followed behind her down the hallway and into the stairwell. From behind he could see all of the patches covering the back of her leather jacket. 

As soon as the two of them stepped into the cold December air they could hear music blasting from across the campus. It was being held at one of the sorority houses that were used to it. From the lawn you could clearly see the tree in front of the house covered in toilet paper and garbage strewn about in the snow. Outlines of people in the windows danced with each other. Mulder couldn’t help but think that this was just like the parties you see on TV. 

“Come on.” Scully said as she dashed effortlessly up the front steps. Mulder followed, trailing close behind. 

In a moment the two of them were engulfed in a case of sound. Music blared through the front door as it was opened along with the voices of excited students. Mulder put his hands in his pockets and stood next to Scully who was looking around unsure of where to go. 

“Dana!” A voice broke through the others. Melissa was waving them over from across the room. 

Scully tilted her head signaling for Mulder to follow her as she pushed through the crowd. 

“Look who finally showed up.” Phoebe said as she smiled at her roommate before taking a sip out of a red cup. She eyed Mulder over the edge.

“Spooky.” She said raising her eyebrows. “Didn’t know that you were a party guy.”

“Oh yeah, I’m wild.” He said, sensing her sarcasm. 

Phoebe turned back to Scully. 

“Look what I brought.” She opened her back to reveal three cans of spray paint. 

“And what do you plan on doing with those?”

Phoebe set her drink on one of the end tables and motioned for Scully to follow her. Scully glanced up at Mulder who simply shrugged. She knew that this was a bad idea- whatever it was but followed anyway. 

In the next minute Phoebe, Scully, and Mulder would be standing outside with two other girls. The two other girls were twins that looked scarily alike.

“Let’s do something bad.” Phoebe said as she picked up a can of black spray paint and blotched the side of the building with a sloppy anarchy symbol. She tossed the can to Dana who looked at it for a moment before walking up to the wall hesitantly. 

“Yeah, Scully, let’s do something bad.” Mulder said with a wink. He picked up a can of lime green spray paint and drew an enormous “X” over Phoebe’s masterpiece. Scully gave him a surprised but oddly pleased look. She turned back to the wall and pressed down on the nozzle, spraying a much smaller black “X” next to Mulder’s.

All of the sudden a commotion broke out inside. A flurry of students dashed across the lawn in a hurry, yelling something about campus security. The music stopped inside followed by nervous shouts of “hide the booze!” 

A flashlight searched the lawn, brightening the snow into sparkles. 

“Shit!” Phoebe yelled, turning to run. 

“Hey!” The ever feared campus security was upon them. 

“Come on, Dana!” Phoebe said, suddenly remembering her friend and pulling her away from the scene, the spray paint can clattering to the ground. Mulder watched out of the corner of his eye as Dana slipped and tore the knee of her stockings. Phoebe continued to pull her along. 

“Wait what about Mulder…Fox!” She yelled, trying to go back but it was no use. When she turned around she already saw security approaching him, ordering him to drop the can as if it was some kind of weapon. 

She caught his eyes helplessly; pleading with him as Phoebe finally pulled her away. 

 

 

“Do you realize exactly how much trouble you can get into for vandalizing, Mr. Mulder?” The Dean said as he crossed the floor behind his desk. He was a very serious man, Mr. Skinner. 

Mulder was slumped in the chair in front of him, awaiting his punishment. First couple months of college and he was already committing a serious crime. Mom and Dad would be proud. 

“I’m sorry, sir.” 

“You better be. I could suspend you for this- you are a freshman. Don’t you know what you’re getting yourself into?” 

Mulder went to speak but simply hung his head. He didn’t know how to get himself out of this one. 

“In some schools you could be expelled. I’m sick of young adults acting like children I-“ 

A knock at the door broke his rant. He looked up as it creaked open. 

“Sir?” 

Mulder turned around to see Scully standing in the doorway, her hair frazzled and her knee cap bloody. 

“Yes, Miss. Scully?” He leaned on his desk and hung his head momentarily, irritated. 

“I did it too. I spray painted the wall.” 

Mr. Skinner sighed through his nose and instructed her to close the door. As he sat down at his desk Mulder and Scully exchanged glances, Mulder’s saying something along the lines of “you didn’t have to do this.” 

“You spray painted the wall?”

“Yes, sir.” 

“Where did you get the paint?” 

“It was at the party.” Scully only lied partially. She didn’t like to throw anybody under the bus. 

Mr. Skinner remained silent for a few moments before coming to a decision. 

“You two are going to paint that wall. Re-paint it. Over break. Your parents can expect you a day late.”

Mulder and Scully visibly stiffened, mostly out of fear of what their parents might say about the situation. 

“I will not stand for this behavior at this school. If I see the two of you in here again you will be done. I’m letting you off easy, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” They said in a nervous unison. 

“Get out of my office.” 

Without another word Scully and Mulder stood up and exited the room, keeping quiet until they reached the stairwell. 

“Scully you didn’t have to do that. God, you didn’t.” 

“I couldn’t let you take all of the blame. It wasn’t your fault.” 

“Is your knee ok?” 

Scully glanced down at the ripped stockings and dried blood. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. I got enough scars on my knees from when I was a kid.” 

They ascended the stairs sleepily. It was only a matter of time before Mulder started laughing. 

“What? Mulder, what are you laughing at?” Scully was genuinely concerned. 

“I just…I don’t know. This situation I guess.” He couldn’t help but laugh again. “They told me to drop the spray paint like I was holding a gun...my parents are going to be so mad.”  
It didn’t exactly strike Scully as funny but she was tired and truly thought that Mulder was losing it. She slumped against him and laughed too, trying her best not to lose her balance. 

“I was going to say I’d miss you over break but it looks like we’ll be here for a while.” Mulder said as they entered the hallway. At this point they had to whisper due to the time of night. It only made them laugh more. 

“I’d miss you too.” Scully laughed, patting Mulder on the shoulder when they reached his door. 

Moments passed slowly. Mulder was hesitant before embracing Scully who secretly blushed behind his back. 

“Mulder…?”

“Thank you.” He pulled away and patted her shoulders. 

“You really didn’t have to do that, honest.” 

“Y-you’re welcome.” 

“See you around, Scully.” He said, unlocking his door and stepping inside. 

What Mulder and Scully didn’t know was the way they both listened hopefully on the other side of the door for something to happen. Mulder wouldn’t admit that he counted the steps Scully took as she walked away and Scully wouldn’t admit to the smile on her face.


	4. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 4)

The next morning was quite joyous for everybody else. Students rushed off campus with bags in their arms, eagerly running to their parent’s cars or off to the train station to go home for the holidays. The couple of weeks off were the light at the end of the extensive tunnel of schooling. 

Mulder had been sitting cross legged on his bed, watching the commotion in the parking lot. His dorm was quiet and unusually bare due to Krycek’s absence. He wasn’t complaining though and took the moment to lay back in the strange silence. 

Mr. Skinner had ordered Mulder and Scully to begin painting over the graffiti as soon as the campus cleared out and it looked about time. 

Slowly pushing himself off the bed Mulder began to get dressed. He threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt all under his winter coat. He then sat on his bed to pull on a pair of thick socks and his boots. He dug a pair of gloves and a hat out from his underwear drawer and stuffed them in his coat pocket before going to find Scully. 

The hallways were a ghost town, not a person to be seen. Mulder wasn’t sure if he liked it or hated it. 

The only person he had passed on the way to Scully’s dorm was one of the twins they had seen the night before. She walked past him quickly, her suitcase skidding behind her.

The door to Scully’s dorm was open when Mulder arrived. He still knocked on the door frame to catch her attention. She stood with her back to him, arranging something on her desk. When she turned around Mulder could see that she was dressed for the occasion; a large black coat, black knit hat, and a pair of skinny leggings tucked into boots. 

“I was just about to come look for you.” She smiled softly, balling up a pair of purple mittens and stuffing them in her pocket. 

“Are you ready to paint over our devastating crime?” Mulder joked as they stepped into the hallway. 

“Devastating?” 

“Yeah, we’re criminals now, Scully. We’re living the life of crime.” 

Scully rolled her eyes and gave into Mulder’s joke. “We’re a regular Bonnie and Clyde.” 

Mr. Skinner had told them that the paint cans had been left in the front lounge by the door for them. There were two gallons and a bundle of paint brushes. 

“Let’s get to work.” Mulder raised his eyebrows sarcastically as he grabbed both of the cans by their handles and started out the door. Scully grabbed the paint brushes and followed. 

They set up shop next to the wall. The spray paint had dripped and dried overnight in the chilly winter air, leaving tiny streaks of paint to trickle down the walls like roots in a tree.

Scully pulled her collar up tighter around her face and bent over to open the first can. They probably wouldn’t need the other one. 

They spent the next hour dipping paint brushes in and out of the can and smearing it on the wall. Their moment of rebellion had disappeared forever under the first coat of light-beige paint. 

A gust of frozen wind sent them both shivering. They looked at each other in sudden regret, nose and cheeks rosy red. 

“We’re almost done-“ Mulder had begun to say as he was streaking the wall with a second coat. He was cut short when he was struck in the back of the neck by something that sent freezing cold pellets down the back of his shirt. 

It took him a moment to realize it was a snowball. 

Dropping the paint brush in the snow he turned around to face his attacker. Scully was a distance behind him, a mischievous smile plastered to her face. 

“You’re dead.” Mulder laughed as he barreled forward, trudging through the snow in long strides to reach her. Scully took off running in the other direction screaming. “No, Mulder don’t!” 

“Oh no, you ask for it!” Mulder bent over and scooped snow into his gloved hands, shaping it into a ball. 

He aimed and fired, sending it flying through the air in Scully’s direction. She dodged it narrowly, turning around again to throw a playful “HA!” back at him. 

 

After a while they had lost track of time. The paintbrushes had become stiff in the snow and the paint drying on the wall. The second coat had been forgotten about, but who would know? Mulder declared that he was beginning to develop frost bite on his toes so it wasn’t worth it. Scully suggested they go inside and watch a movie. Mulder didn’t object.

Instead he hoisted the paint cans up by their handles and hustled back inside the building with Scully already ahead of him. 

“Well, we have the whole campus to ourselves for the night.” He smiled, pulling his hat off along with his wet gloves. 

“I can’t feel my face.” Scully sulked, pressing her hands to her cheeks and shivering. 

“I can’t feel anything.” Mulder replied. 

They trudged back up the steps and to their dorms to change clothes, tossing the wet ones to the floor in a heap. Scully was slumped on her bed when she heard a knock at the door. It was Mulder carrying a stack of VHS tapes. They now had a variety of horror movies at their fingertips. 

“Which one do you want to watch? I’ve got Nightmare on Elm Street, The Evil Dead, Carrie…” He tilted the stack sideways to look at the movie titles on the sides of the tapes. “The Shining, Friday the 13th-“ 

“The Evil Dead sounds good.” Scully said, standing up. “We can watch it in the activity lounge.” 

She followed Mulder, who now had placed a pair of glasses on his face, down the vacant hallway that lead to the activity lounge. It was a large room full of couches and tables, a giant television set propped by the far wall. Scully went off to the cafeteria to see if she could find any popcorn while Mulder figured out how to work the VHS player. Scully had returned by the time he had set it up correctly, plopping down next to him on the couch with a bag of popcorn and two cans of coca cola. Mulder took a handful and pressed play on the remote. 

When they had successfully finished watching The Evil Dead they popped Nightmare on Elm Street into the VHS player. And then The Shining. 

Towards the end of the movie Mulder turned to Scully slowly, as if he was contemplating what to say. 

“Hey Scully, do you believe in the afterlife?” 

“I’d settle for a life in this one.”


	5. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 5)

Mulder and Scully were permitted to leave the next day for break. Their parents weren’t happy about it, making it a point to chastise them about how it would forever remain on their record, but that was a given. They eventually forgot about the situation once they came to terms with the fact that their “babies” were home once again, even if it were only for a short time. 

When Mulder returned to campus he did so with a brand new polaroid camera he had received from his parents and a ridiculous amount of film. His original plan was to use it to catch strange things on film as evidence but nothing particularly strange had happened on campus- not yet at least. 

Being away for so long made it seem like there would be a million things to talk about but there weren’t. Scully told Mulder about her family’s Christmas party and showed him a bruise she got after slipping on ice in her drive way. Mulder told her how his family’s Christmas tree almost caught on fire and about the camera. When the stories didn’t prove to be too interesting the two of them carried on like they always did in Mulder’s dorm or occasionally trailing around outside taking pictures with Mulder’s brand new polaroid. They now had quite the collection going. Mulder had tons plastered to the wall above his desk, outlining the poster that had been lonely for so long. Scully did the same, decorating her side of the room with the goofiest pictures they had taken. Of course this only fueled Phoebe’s fire in teasing “Mrs. Spooky” but Scully didn’t care one bit. It was none of Phoebe’s business anyway. 

It carried on like that all winter long. When the studying became too tiresome they took a walk outside or sometimes went over to Scully’s dorm to listen to her tapes. They were mostly punk rock, hard hitting tunes about anarchy and doing what you wanted. When Scully asked Mulder what type of music he liked to listen to he stated that he was more of a David Bowie guy. She said that she didn’t have many Bowie tapes but that she’d keep that in mind.

But they missed the warmth of the sun under the giant oak tree on the lawn, and by the time spring rolled around they were practically racing each other outside. 

As March ended, April brought a wave of warmth and sunshine- and other things as well. 

 

 

It happened on the night of April 5th. It was almost midnight and it was unusually hot outside for such an early spring month. Mulder was in bed, Alex snoring on the other side of the room. For some reason he could not fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes his mind provided him with a new reason to open them. The stars glowed faintly above him on the ceiling. 

Mulder thought that he had nodded off when the glow of the stars disappeared suddenly but came to realize that a light had cast in through the window. It was distant, but enough to light his side of the room dimly. 

Sitting up in bed, Mulder strained his eyes. A strange light was emitting above the wooded area across campus. It was hard to truly make out what it was but Mulder knew that it wasn’t normal. It had to be something extraterrestrial. This was huge!

Without thinking Mulder leapt off of his bed and pulled on a pair of old jeans that had been laying around on the floor and threw on his shoes. In the spur of the moment he grabbed his camera and carefully rushed out the door and down the dim-lit hallway. The last thing he wanted to do was get caught after the spray painting incident but this was clear evidence and it was right in front of him. So he took necessary precautions, tip toeing around corners and sneaking past closed doors. It seemed like a painfully long time before he was standing in front of Scully’s dorm. 

He knocked as quietly as he could, pressing his ear to the door and whispering, “Scully!” 

He knocked again.

“Scul-“

The door suddenly opened to reveal Scully herself, her hair pulled into a messy pony tail, eyes groggy with sleep, and wearing an oversized skeleton sweater. 

“Mulder what the hell are-“

“Scully I think something big is happening and you’ve got to come see.”

“Mulder do you have any idea what time it is?” She leaned her head back into the room to gape at the clock. 

“It’s midnight!” She whispered. 

“Scully just trust me.” He watched her give him a dead-panned stare. She could see that he was giddy with strange excitement. 

Pressing a finger to her lips she slipped back into the room and coaxed him into the doorway. 

He watched as she pulled on her boots and ditch the jacket. 

She gently pushed him back into the hallway and allowed him to lead the way. 

With much skill they managed to sneak past the cameras at the end of the hallway and narrowly dodged a run-in with another sleepy student. They didn’t exchange words until they were outside and in the clear. 

“Mulder, what is this about?” Scully asked as she watched him look around frantically. 

“I saw a flying saucer, Scully.”

Suddenly she felt angry. Being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to search for flying saucers wasn’t exactly her cup of tea. 

“Mulder!” She practically whined. 

“I’m serious, I was laying in bed and I saw it above those trees, just over there!” He pointed at the wooded area and started running across the lawn, Scully having no choice but to run after him. 

“This is crazy, I don’t see anything.” She said as she threw her head up to the sky. It was clear except for millions of stars. 

“It was here, Scully.” 

The two of them plunged into the woods, Mulder advising Scully to stay close behind him. He tightened his grip on the polaroid camera, just in case something were to happen fast. 

Scully suddenly got the feeling that they were going to get lost. It was hard to see the stars with the tree tops blocking them out. 

“Mulder-“

“Wait-shh…do you hear that?” He cut her off and stood still on the path. Out of instinct Scully stepped closer to him. They stood in utter silence for nearly a minute before a twig snapped a little too close by. Mulder whirled around in time to catch a quick blur duck behind one of the many trees.

“Mulder…” Scully started again, looking at him cautiously, trying to figure out what he might have seen. He didn’t respond; he simply stared at the tree silently. 

A flash of sudden light caught them off guard. It came from behind them, the complete opposite direction of where the twig had snapped. Mulder shielded his eyes and got prepared for whatever was out there. But it was only a flashlight. 

“Well if it isn’t Mr. and Mrs. Spooky.” 

A group of seniors stepped out from the shadows. Mulder and Scully exchanged confused glances as the group took a step forward. 

“What brings you two out here, huh? Looking for ghosts?” One of them asked, slinging an arm around Scully’s shoulder. She forced him off of her immediately. 

“Don’t touch her.” Mulder said, pulling her towards him gently. 

“What are you gonna do?” He asked, taking a step forward. 

“Lay a hand on her and I’ll beat the shit out of you, you hear me?” 

“Oh what? Spooky’s a tough guy? I’d love to see you try, go on- beat the shit out of me-“

“Stop! Stop it! Don’t Mulder, don’t.” Scully shouted. 

“I’m telling you what-“

“Go on!”

“Stop!” 

The argument stopped abruptly when a blast of sound filled the space around them. It was a lurid buzzing, like a tractor beam. The wind picked up massively, enough to send the group of seniors running. Scully and Mulder had dropped down to the ground in attempt to shield themselves with their hands clasped around their ears. 

Mulder slowly lifted his head just in time to catch another glimpse of the blur he had seen before. He saw it very briefly, but clear enough to make out what it was. It was small, about three feet tall and gray. 

Without thinking Mulder rose to his feet and dashed in the direction it had gone, tightening his grip on his camera. 

“Mulder!” Scully yelled over the noise, watching as he disappeared into the shadows. She pushed herself to her feet and took off after him.

“Mulder!” She called out again, straining her eyes in the darkness. In front of her she could see a gap in the trees that lead to an opening. Staggering, she made her way to it. 

Scully burst through the trees and stumbled onto the edge of a field. 

“Mul-!” 

The noise had come to a deafening roar, a great beam of light surrounding her and shocking the night sky. Scully felt the presence of somebody next to her and squinted to find out that the silhouette was Mulder. 

“Mulder, what’s happening?” She screamed but it came out as nothing against the noise. 

The light slowly began to rise subside into a thin beam overhead, more like a search light used to find lost criminals. The two of them peered up at the source of it, their eyes shining in amazement. A round, air craft hovered above them. 

Mulder was too caught up in the moment to snap a picture and it was gone before he had a chance. In the blink of an eye the aircraft zipped away from them, seemingly dissolved into the sky. It had gone just as soon as it had appeared. 

They stood out of breath for a few minutes, staring in confusion. 

“Mulder what…what did we just see?” Scully asked, waiting for a logical answer that never came. Mulder shot a look up at the sky that twinkled with stars. 

“A breakthrough.” He breathed, completely unaware that the two of them were standing on the edge of a gigantic crop circle.


	6. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 6)

“I told you I saw a flying saucer, Scully.” Mulder said as the two of them returned to the campus. 

“Mulder…”

“No, no don’t say that it wasn’t, Scully. Did you see that?! That was a UFO!” 

“Mulder that could have been anything.”

“Yeah? Well then what was it?” 

“I don’t know.”

“Un-identified flying object.” He emphasized each word carefully. 

Scully crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. 

“It was frightening whatever it was.”

“It had to been one, Scully. I saw a Gray.”

“A what?” 

“A Gray. An alien. That’s what was in the woods, when I ran off. It was small, shorter than us and gray, Scully. It had gray skin.” Mulder was becoming frantic. “I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture.”

“That’s crazy and you know it!” Scully whispered.

“Are you trying to pretend that you didn’t just witness that back there?” Mulder stretched his arm back towards the wooded area. “Scully, that wasn’t normal! That was something else!”

Scully shot a sharp glance at Mulder before picking up her pace. 

“Where are you going?”

“To bed!” She nearly screamed but lowered her voice in fear of being caught. “Mulder, I’m tired. I have class in the morning, my legs hurt, and quite frankly I’m a little shaken after that experience!” 

Scully wrapped her arms around herself as a chill settled in on the night air. 

“I don’t know what I saw back there, Mulder. I just don’t.” 

Mulder stood on the lawn and watched as Scully turned away from him and walk towards the front doors. Her strides were quick and soon she was inside, leaving Mulder alone under the blanket of stars. 

 

 

Scully had decided that pulling herself out of bed in the morning should be considered an Olympic effort. Running on four hours of sleep and being expected to attend a 7:00 class felt almost impossible. 

She trailed sleepily down the hallway, absent mindedly snaking through the crowd until she reached the anatomy classroom. She slumped in her seat, setting her bag down beside her and pulling out her textbook. The class had yet to start and sleep was already calling. 

Scully straightened her back and peered out the window. Her eyes skimmed the lawn, following it to the wooded area on the edge of the campus and finally to the field off to the far side. In the daylight it was easy to make out the strange impression left in the grass. 

Scully found herself unable to look away. It was so peculiar…like somebody had cut the grass in intricate, circular patterns. She slowly stood up, leaving her bag at her feet and left the room quickly. 

She was outside in a matter of minutes and dashing for the field. Nobody else seemed to notice. Scully didn’t know why she was so drawn to it but she was; she had to see it up close. But when she got closer the pattern disappeared like a twisted optical illusion. 

Scully stood in the field, alone, trying to make out the pattern she was sure she had been standing on. What the hell was happening here? 

In a matter of seconds the morning sky began to fade into darkness. Scully looked around, panicked and confused. The blackness completely engulfed her, only to be broken by a blinding white light. 

Scully felt paralyzed. She could not move. She could not scream. She could not do anything at all. 

The world had become utterly silent in this strange, paralyzing light. Scully wondered why nobody else was seeing this. 

When somebody gripped her forearm she thought it was Mulder. Her eyes frantically searched for the familiar face but soon realized that this somebody was no person at all. They were about three feet tall and gray. Large, black eyes peered up at her. 

Scully woke with a start, a scream escaping her mouth. She had successfully startled the entire class, including her professor. 

“Miss Scully?” He asked staring at her in great concern. 

It was all a dream. 

Scully stared back at him wide eyed and quite embarrassed. She didn’t know what to say so she mumbled a quick, “I’m sorry” and gathered her things as quick as possible before leaving the room and going to find Mulder.


	7. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 7)

Scully reached Mulder’s room and entered without knocking. He was sitting on the floor, a book in his lap. 

“Scully?”

“You win, Mulder.”

“What?”

“Something weird is happening here. Look.” She cautiously stepped over piles of stray books to get to the window. She pointed beyond the lawn to the field where the circular pattern still remained. 

“I noticed it today in class. What is that?”

Mulder pushed himself off of the ground and strolled over to the window. Leaning forward, he followed Scully’s gaze. He stared for a couple of moments before whirling around and reaching for the book he had left on the ground. 

“Mulder, what is it?” Scully asked as she watched him frantically flip through pages. Finally he handed the book over to her. The top of the page stated “CROP CIRCLES” in large, black capital letters. 

Scully’s eyes danced over the images below. There were circular patterns just like the one in the field. There were other incredible shapes too, swirls and patterns galore. 

“It’s a sign, Scully. Of extraterrestrial life forms.” 

Scully turned one more page before closing the book. A white alien face stared back at her along with the words “From Outer Space.” 

“Crop circles show up all over the country completely out of the blue. Nobody seems to know how they got there or where they might have come from.” Mulder continued, taking the book back. 

“I had the strangest dream.” Scully said suddenly. Her voice was laced with apparent fatigue. She looked at Mulder and continued. 

“I was standing in that field right over there…because I noticed the strange pattern. But when I got close it disappeared and the sky went black. Whatever we saw last night was…it was back and the light was shining on me. I couldn’t move no matter how hard I tried and then I felt something touch my arm and I thought it might be you…But it wasn’t.” 

“Who was it?”

“It was small and gray.” Scully said hesitantly. 

Those words were enough for Mulder. 

“Scully people have the ability to dream of alien abductions, beams of light, UFOs! Do you believe me now?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Mulder.” Scully sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. 

“Look. It says here that there is an average of seventy thousands reported UFO sightings every year. One hundred ninety-two per day. We were one of those people, Scully just think about it.” He sat down next to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. 

“I can’t make this up, Scully what we saw was real.” 

“We have no proof.” Scully reminded him softly. 

“We’re going to get some.”

 

 

Mulder had come up with a very intricate plan throughout his sleepless night. 

“No UFO has ever been tracked on radio entering the Earth’s atmosphere.” He explained. “But there is a chance that we can send signals to space through a radio that is strong enough.” 

“And what are we going to do then, Mulder? Call them down for a party?”

“We just need to catch their attention and wait. I need that proof, Scully, I need the evidence.”

“And what if you get everything that you’ve hoped for?” 

Mulder grew silent, deep in thought. When a few moments ticked by he responded with a simple, “I don’t know.”


	8. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 8)

Mulder had instructed Scully to meet him outside of his dorm at exactly midnight. The two of them would sneak down to the science lab to use the transistor radio in the back closet. 

“If we end up in Mr. Skinner’s office again, we’re dead.” Scully reminded him over and over but Mulder insisted that they wouldn’t get caught. All of the professors would be long gone by that time and nobody would be in that wing of the building. 

 

So Scully did show up, dressed in all black just like Mulder, and the two of them snuck down the back stairwell that lead to the science labs. 

The left wing of the building was dark except for the moonlight seeping in the large window at the end of the long corridor. Mulder clicked on a flashlight and signaled for Scully to follow.

When they reached the right lab they were thankful to find that it had been left unlocked. The flashlight beam cut through the darkness like a knife, dancing over beakers, microscopes, and stacks of textbooks. 

“It’s back here.” Mulder said, stepping into the room and making his way to the closet at the very back of the room. “I saw it when the professor opened the door a while ago; it’s on one of the shelves.” 

They slowly opened the door and peered inside. There were shelves full of extra or possibly broken microscopes, jars with frogs ready for dissecting, and various other equipment. But finally, their eyes fell upon the transistor radio. 

Scully held the flashlight steady as Mulder fiddled with the knobs. He passed radio stations featuring late night talk shows and quiet music until he reached static. He carefully unfolded the antenna and pointed it towards the ceiling. 

“Radio waves travel at the speed of light…they have to reach something…” Mulder whispered, continuing to adjust the knobs. “Have you ever heard of the Number Game, Scully?”

“I can’t say I have.” She whispered in the dark. 

“Our galaxy measures up to 120,000 light years across and contains about 400 billion stars…” He carefully turned a knob through static. “It’s said that about half of these stars include at least one planet within their orbit.”

“That’s a lot of planets.”

“And a good chance for alien life that hasn’t been discovered-“ 

The static suddenly went deadly silent. Mulder’s hand rested on the knob without moving. He slowly looked towards the ceiling, waiting for something to happen. 

The door handle to the classroom began to turn. Scully and Mulder looked at each other, panicked. 

“Get in here. Turn off the flashlight.” Mulder said quickly, closing them in the closet. They listened to the sound of footsteps in the dark. The only other sound was their careful breathing. 

After what seemed like an eternity the footsteps began to move towards the door, as if they were leaving. They were nearly gone when the radio went haywire. 

A loud shrieking rang out from the closet followed by a blend of the radio stations. It went in and out of static, blaring. The footsteps whirled around and made a beeline for the closet. 

Scully and Mulder fumbled in the dark, searching helplessly for a place to hide. 

From behind a shelf Scully listened to the door open over the sound of the screaming radio. It was switched off in an instant and the room went quiet once more. Scully pressed a hand over her mouth and waited for something to happen. 

About a minute later the closet door shut and the footsteps disappeared into the other room. They grew fainter and fainter until they were totally gone. 

Scully waited for a couple of minutes to make sure that they were alone. She slowly squirmed out from behind the shelf and clicked the flash light on. 

“Mulder?” She whispered, skimming the room for him. 

He crawled out from under an old desk propped against the wall. 

“Who was that?” She asked. 

“I have no clue.” He stood up and dusted himself off. 

Scully shined the flashlight towards the radio but it was no longer on shelf. 

“Mulder, it’s gone.” She said as they both exchanged unsure glances.


	9. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 9)

Alex Krycek was not happy when Mulder and Scully burst into the room at 1:30 in the morning. He sat upright in bed, watching as Mulder quickly shut the door and pressed his back against it, Scully beside him. 

“What the hell-“

“Shh!”

“Do you two know what time it is? What the fuck is wrong with-“

“Shh!” Mulder pressed a finger to his lips, irritated. 

Scully ignored Krycek all together and took a seat on Mulder’s bed. 

“She shouldn’t be in here.” 

“Alex will you shut up for two damn seconds?” Mulder whispered as he grabbed a book from his desk. It was the same one he had shown Scully earlier that day. He flicked on the small desk lamp, much to Krycek’s displeasure, and flipped through pages until he found what he was looking for. 

“Look.” He slid onto the bed next to Scully. “The radio. They have the ability to affect radio signals as much as we can by sending them.” 

“That’s why it went crazy…” Scully stated, grabbing the book from Mulder’s hands and taking a look for herself. 

“Exactly.” 

“Well who do you think would have taken it?” 

“Don’t even tell me that this is some alien bullshit.” Krycek grumbled under his breath. 

Scully handed the book back over to Mulder, the two of them ignoring Krycek’s comment entirely. 

“I don’t know who would have taken it…what if it was Mr. Skinner?” 

“Maybe.” 

“Look, I have class in the morning so-“

Mulder stood up from the bed and gently pulled Scully to the door. He opened it quietly and leaned in close to her. 

“I have an idea. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, ok?” He whispered. 

Scully shot Krycek a glance before turning back to Mulder and nodding sincerely. 

“See you tomorrow, Mulder.”

Scully let Mulder close the door behind her. She walked slowly down the hallway, careful to be quiet when passing closed doors. The silence made her feel very alone and generally on edge. It felt as if eyes were constantly on her back, that maybe if she turned around somebody would be standing there. But each time she dared to glance over her shoulder the corridor would be empty except for her. 

She picked up her pace, keeping her eyes straight ahead until she reached her door. As Scully gripped the doorknob she decided to take one last glimpse towards the end of the hallway. 

Maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. She remembered being a child and laying in bed at night with the lights off. She would convince herself that a monster was hiding in the shadows, even if it was just a coat hanging on a piece of furniture or simply a place that the light couldn’t reach. It all came down to the fact that the darkness had the ability to make shapes that weren’t there

Scully could have sworn that she saw something dart from one end of the hallway to the other. It was deadly fast and gone before she could begin to make out what it was. It was no monster standing in the shadows. This wasn’t a coat hanging on a piece of furniture. This moved. 

Scully’s hand fumbled on the doorknob as her breath hitched in her throat. She couldn’t get into the dorm fast enough. As soon as she was inside she closed the door and locked it. 

Phoebe sat up in bed and turned on the bedside lamp.

“Dana? Are you alright? Where the hell have you been?” She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. 

“I’m fine. I’m alright, I was just out.”

“I heard you had a massive freak-out in class earlier.” 

Scully sighed deeply. She had made quite a spectacle of herself. 

“I’m ok.” She whispered, trying to reassure herself more than Phoebe. 

 

 

While Scully was sliding under the covers Mulder was laying sleepless in his own dorm. He stared up at the glow in the dark stars with his hands folded behind his head. 

Krycek had thoroughly expressed his feelings about Mulder being absolutely delusional before burrowing himself under the covers and nodding off. 

Silence had finally consumed the room once more, leaving Mulder alone with his thoughts. 

Whoever had taken the radio knew what he and Scully were using it for. There was no other explanation as to why they would take it. The radio had sat dormant in the back of that closet for a while, judging by the layer of dust coating its surface. 

But the real question was who. 

Mulder rolled over and stared out the window, fixing a gaze on the field. There were no strange lights tonight. 

As he slumped on his side a shadow cast from under the door. Somebody or something was standing out there. Mulder held his breath, waiting for it to make its next move. After about a minute the shadow disappeared as whatever was out there walked away. 

Mulder lay motionless, unsure of what to do. He decided finally to swing his legs over the side of the bed and open the door cautiously. He stuck his head into the hallway and looked from left to right. There was no sign of anybody. 

The corridor was empty.


	10. The Truth is Closer Than You Think (Part 10)

The next day Mulder found Scully sitting under the tree, her knees pulled to her chest. She didn’t have a book today; just herself, dressed in a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans with high-top tennis shoes. She looked up when Mulder sat down next to her and gave him a tired smile.

“Someone was standing outside of my room last night.” He said quietly, watching Scully’s eyes widen.

“Did you see who it was?”

Mulder shook his head. “They were gone before I had the chance.”

“Mulder, I think somebody was following me last night. Maybe it was the same person.”

“To your dorm?”

Scully nodded silently, her face expressionless.

Mulder leaned back against the trunk of the tree and stared out towards the direction of the field.

“We’ll go back there tonight. I think maybe if we wait long enough they’ll come.”

“Even if there are aliens…what makes you think they’ll just show up?”

“I think we at least picked up some sort of signal on that radio last night, Scully. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“So you’re just going off of chance?”

“I always do.”

Scully stared into Mulder’s eyes, past the glasses he occasionally wore, and detected a glimmer of faith. For the first time since she met him she felt it too.

 

 

 

That night Mulder met Scully outside of her dorm room with a blanket rolled underneath his arm as well as his polaroid camera. They trailed across the campus in the dark side by side until they reached the field. Once they picked a good spot Mulder spread the blanket out on the grass inside of the crop circle. He sat down and Scully followed, leaning back and tucking her arms under her head.

She stared up at the millions of stars above them as Mulder laid down next to her. He laced his fingers together and rested his hands on his chest.

“And now we wait.”

“And now we wait.” Scully smiled.

The two of them laid side by side for nearly a half an hour with no words to fill the space between them. Their eyes were focused on the stars above. Their great number made space seem vast and oddly empty.  Sometimes Mulder thought about what it might be like to be up there. It made him feel utterly alone in the strangest sense. That feeling struck him often but he didn’t feel that tonight. Not with Scully beside him.

He tilted his head and watched her for a few quiet moments. Her eyes were dotted with the light of the stars, lips rested in a frown.

“How have you been, Scully?” He asked suddenly, catching her gaze when she turned to look at him.

“What do you mean? You know how I’ve been.” She curled her lips into a small smile.

“No but how have you really been?”

The question struck Scully as odd. She turned her gaze back to the sky and sighed lightly.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’m hanging in there, I guess.”

Mulder nodded as a comfortable silence settled around them once again. Scully sensed that he had something on his mind and hesitated before asking.

“How have you been, Mulder?”

“According to Krycek, delusional.” He smirked.

Scully shook her head and chuckled lightly. “I don’t think you’re delusional… I have never met anyone so passionate and dedicated to a belief as you. It's so intense that sometimes it's blinding.”

She pulled herself into a sitting position and dragged her knees to her chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as strongly about something as you do in this.”

“I don’t know if that is a good or bad thing.” Mulder propped himself up on his elbows and raised his eyebrows at Scully. She looked down at him with a soft stare, strands of red hair falling down around her face.

“I guess I’m just boring.”

“That is one thing you are not, Scully.” He pulled himself up and sat cross legged.  “You’re one of the most interesting people I have ever met.”

“Somehow I can’t believe that.”

“I’m serious.” Mulder laughed, nudging her with his shoulder.

Scully nudged him back but gave into the compliment.

“You know they’re starting to call me Mrs. Spooky now?”

“Does it bother you?”

“No.” Scully said, resting her head on Mulder’s shoulder. He looked down at her but she wasn’t paying attention. Instead of coming up with something to say Mulder draped an arm around her shoulders and looked up at the stars again.

 

 

 

The two of them would never get to know if anything had shown up. They wouldn’t see a UFO. They wouldn’t see any aliens. Not even a shooting star. After an hour they had become drowsy and fallen asleep on the blanket in the grass.

Mulder didn’t wake up until dawn broke across the sky in streaks of red.

He opened his eyes and squinted at the unfamiliar surroundings. His left arm was numb from Scully’s weight resting on it, her head still propped on his shoulder.

“Scully, wake up.” He gently nudged her. “Scully, we fell asleep.”

“Mulder?” She squinted her eyes and pulled herself up into a sitting position slowly. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed them in the chilly morning air.

“Scully, look.” Mulder pointed ahead of them, yawning. A box-shape sat a couple of yards away from them.

They pulled themselves to their feet groggily and walked toward it carefully. Suddenly the image became clear and they could make out the features of a broken radio.

“The radio?” Scully watched as Mulder bent over and picked it up, staring at it and then to the sky.

“This wasn’t here last night.”

“How did it get here?”

“Maybe they knew we were trying to get in contact with them. Maybe they were here all along.”

“Aliens?”

Mulder nodded, eyes still fixated on the sky.

“How did we not see them, Mulder?”

“People who have had an extraterrestrial experience claim that time passes or speeds up suddenly before they can even realize that it is gone. Hours can pass, Scully, in the blink of an eye.”

“But we didn’t even hear anything.”

“Sometimes you don’t have to.” Mulder stared down at the radio. “Maybe that person standing outside of my door wasn’t a person at all.”

Scully thought about it deeply and was struck by an eerie feeling when she realized she might have seen an alien as well.

The sun rose over the horizon as Mulder dropped the broken radio back at their feet.

“What do we do now, Mulder?”

“I guess we see what the future brings.” He cracked a smile and started to walk away.

Scully hung back for a moment, staring at the radio in the grass. Whoever broke it, alien or not knew something that the two of them didn’t: the truth. It was oddly comforting and disheartening at the same time.

Scully caught up with Mulder just in time to help him roll up the blanket.

 

 

 

When the two of them reached the campus they found out that the crop circle had been on the local news. It flashed across the television screen in the main lounge with the words, “Mysterious crop circle appears next to college building.” Mulder and Scully exchanged knowing looks as they passed a group of curious students.

Mulder could already hear Alex making jokes about it.

As they exited the lounge Scully turned to Mulder as if she had just remembered something important.

“Hey, I meant to ask you something, it’s kind of stupid, but I heard that they’re showing Rocky Horror Picture Show in town on Friday night, and I was wondering if you might want to go?”

“Sure.”

“So you like it?”

“It’s only the greatest musical ever. Other-worldy transsexuals, my favorite.” He gave her a sleepy smile as they ascended the stairs.

“Who are you going to go as?”

“Huh?”

“Oh come on. You can’t go to a Rocky Horror showing and not dress up.”

“I don’t know. How ‘bout I be Brad and you be Janet?”

Scully smiled back. “Alright. Sounds like a deal.”

 

And quite the deal it was. When Scully showed up on Mulder’s door step on Friday night she was wearing a trench coat tied at her waist. Her hair was down; all of the piercings in her ears were taken out. With minimal makeup she looked so natural, so grown up. Suddenly Mulder felt childish opening the door in nothing but a robe, tight, white underwear, and his glasses.

Scully on the other hand thought that it was absolutely great. She cracked a smile that turned into a hearty laugh.

“You look great, Mulder.” She finally said.

“For a second there I thought you were laughing at how ridiculous I look.” He smiled, knowing that he did. But at least he was in character.

“No, you look perfect. You do.”

 “Thanks.”

Soon the two of them were standing in a line of other Rocky Horror fans. All of them were in costume, corset and fishnets galore. Scully shed her trench coat to reveal her true outfit. A simple white bra and a white high-waisted mini skirt. She looked beautiful.

“We’re quite the pair, huh?” Mulder asked, untying his own robe.

“I think we’re the only Brad and Janets.” Scully replied, skimming the line with her eyes.

“I guess that just makes us special then.” They exchanged smiles as the line finally started to move inside.

After purchasing their tickets and popcorn Scully and Mulder took their seats at in the middle of the theater, standing out in the crowd of Frankenfurters, Rockys, Columbias, and Magentas.

It was exciting for the two of them to see it in the theater. Mulder recalled the number of times he watched it alone in his room and Scully said the same. She said that her and her sister used to watch it all the time although their parents weren’t too fond of it.

“We used to do the Time Warp in my living room.” Scully smiled, missing her sister.

The lights dimmed soon enough, gaining cheers from the excited crowd. “Science Fiction Double Feature” opened a new can of excitement as it raised voices from the audience. Mulder turned to Scully and mouthed the words off by heart.

“Science fiction, double feature. Doctor X will build a creature…”

Scully laughed and sang along as well. They sang along to every song, in fact. They even danced the Time Warp along with everyone else. Mulder confessed that he wasn’t the best dancer but Scully assured him that it was ok. (All while dancing the Time Warp better than anyone else).

It seemed that the idea of sitting had become completely forgotten. Everybody in the theater remained on their feet in anticipation for the next song, including Scully and Mulder. By the end of the movie their feet were hurting but it was almost over anyway. It was already the beginning of “Rose Tint My World.”

The next 8 and a half minutes were a spiritual experience. The room had flooded in a sweep of intimacy. There wasn’t a care in the world inside of that theater.

_Don’t dream it…be it._

Scully turned to Mulder who was staring at the screen, the words falling absentmindedly out of his mouth. When he sensed her eyes on him he turned and held her stare in his own.

_Don’t dream it…be it._

“Mulder?”

_Don’t dream it…be it._

“Scully.”

_We've got to get out of this trap…_

The voices rung out through the theater, casting a mood on the moment.

_Before this decadence saps our will…_

“Scully?”

_I've got to be strong and try to hang on…_

It all became very clear what was about to happen. No words were needed for the two of them to catch the drift.

_Or my mind may well snap…_

Slowly leaning in-

_Und my life will be lived for the thrills..._

Their lips collided in a heated moment, Scully throwing her arms around Mulder’s neck. Their kiss was deep, lasting longer than it should have. They weren’t sure if the crowd was cheering for them or the songs transition into a new one but either way it felt right. When they broke apart Scully placed her hands on Mulder’s shoulders. His eyes glistened in the light from the movie screen, casting a beautiful shadow on his face. Mulder would agree that Scully looked the same way, her orange hair shining at the perfect length on her shoulders.

“I love you, Spooky.” She smiled softly, making sure that the words felt right coming from her mouth.

“You think I’m spooky?” Mulder joked, his arms still wrapped around her.

“Well I guess I am too.” 


End file.
